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Nov. 6, 2023
LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO HOST AND SUPPORT EVENTS ACROSS STATE IN HONOR OF LOUISIANA’S VETERANS
BATON ROUGE, La.—The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs will host and support events across the state, honoring Louisiana’s veterans in the week leading to Veterans Day on Saturday, Nov. 11. LDVA’s Veterans Day event will be the state premiere of the international documentary “Dear Sirs” on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge. The film chronicles the story of Silvio Pedri’s journey as a prisoner of war in World War II as seen through the eyes of his grandson, Mark Pedri.
Guests will have an opportunity to view art and artifacts from the Louisiana State Archives before the film during a reception from 5-6:15 p.m., as well as get information from the Archives about handling and preserving documents and photographs and from LSU Library about their veteran oral history project. After the viewing, a Q&A session will be held with the filmmakers. Tickets are free of charge, but they must be reserved through Manship Theatre. Reservations can be made online at www.manshiptheatre.org/show/dear-sirs-film, or by calling the box office at 225.344.0334 Tuesday through Friday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. All tickets are general admission, and there is a four-ticket limit per reservation.
On Thursday, Nov. 9, the staff at LDVA’s Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery in Slidell will hold burial honors for 23 unclaimed veterans. The cemetery staff, in partnership with multiple parish coroner’s offices, funeral homes and LDVA veterans assistance counselors, worked to locate the families of these veterans, but none were found. It is our duty to ensure that these veterans receive a dignified burial and a final resting place of honor. In addition to the burial honors, the new Blue Star marker, which will stand as a testament honoring those who served, will be dedicated.
Later on Nov. 9, at 3 p.m., LDVA will host a wreath laying ceremony in the Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the State Capitol. Wreaths will be placed at each of the park’s monuments prior to the ceremony, and during the ceremony, wreaths will be placed in honor of veterans who served in each branch as well as our prisoners of war and those missing in action.
Each of LDVA’s five state-run veterans homes will host ceremonies and other events, and each of LDVA’s five state-run veterans cemeteries will place flags at each veteran’s final resting place. Additionally, LDVA’s staff—including veterans assistance counselors and LaVetCorps navigators—will attend and speak at events across the state. A statewide listing of Veterans Day events is available at bit.ly/vetsday23. For more information, email veteran@la.gov or call 225.219.5000.
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